well, how much is your time worth? I think this question only you could answer it.

Evaluate how much you want the scooter and how easy/hard it is for you to come up with time to fix it, yourself or have it done by someone else.

Now I would not buy nothing that need fixing simple because I have close to 2-3 hours free per week and I rather be riding than fixing things, maybe latter in my life fixing thing will be a better idea, but for now it isn't.

Do you enjoy doing this kind of work? I enjoy wrenching, and the cosmetic stuff is far simpler than rebuilding an engine (at least for me) I like a late night with U2 playing and a project on my bike lift. It's soothing.
Don't forget to try ebay for the parts you need. I'm constantly impressed by the bits I can get there if I shop carefully

If I was you, F the cosmetics. Just get it mechanically good. Just fix the major things that are necessary like the headlight. You'll get over it if it's mechanically good. Then you can have a blast with it and not cry if you dump it. Like fly off road, and scratching it carrying shit won't hurt.

be extremely careful buying scooters that have been crashed. I've seen more bikes with frame damage than i care to see. Might not be noticeable at first, but after you throw a crap load of money into it and it doesn't ride right... Bummed out is putting it lightly.

be extremely careful buying scooters that have been crashed. I've seen more bikes with frame damage than i care to see. Might not be noticeable at first, but after you throw a crap load of money into it and it doesn't ride right... Bummed out is putting it lightly.

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Yes you may want to get the frame checked out if possible. Even a moderate accident can do serious frame damage. And newer bikes like this, part bikes aren't so cheap and easy to find, as in a frame on ebay would probably not be so cheap or easy to find.

Personally, I'd skip it if any frame damage is possible at all. You can usually spot frame damage when the front fairings are off; check for cracked or peeling paint, kinks in the steel tubing, broken welds... but subtle damage may not be so obvious.

The shop has a conflict of interest; they want to unload this tainted wreck... on you! Plan on there being frame damage, and unless they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt the frame is perfectly straight, I'd avoid it like a leper. It's your money, and your risk; if the frame is even slightly warped or bent, it will never be right again.

From what I've been hearing from other riders, a motorbike that has even seen a minor collision is often written off as a total loss, as frame damage may not be obvious. You say they're "pretty sure" there is no damage? I'd want to see a certified notarized letter before I even make an offer on that thing.

As for value, it's worth quite a bit; the engine alone is worth about $800 to someone who needs it.

All the replies have been great. I'm taking a risk and made my final offer of $700. The owner is gonna think about it and get back to me sometime tomorrow.

Worst case scenario, i figure out the bike is messed up in the coming weeks and I have to part it out. The engine is only good on other piaggio flys from what I've heard...so the market for selling that is limited. We'll see what happens.

The cdi has 2 plugs in the back. Only one was plugged in. I have 2 potential candidates for plugging into the back. But they both look the same. So, which of the two do I plug in or do I not plug anything in at all?

Second question. The headlight isn't working. I changed the bulb out but that didn't make a difference. All the other lights on the scooter work. I can't figure out where the issue is.

Took the scooter out for its first out of city ride. A little over 20 miles, mostly on the highway. I was pretty impressed overall. On a couple of long hills the speed dropped to 53-54 mph. Max speed was 68 doing downhill behind a car. It cruised just under 65mph without any trouble.

I took the scooter out over my ktm 625...i think this will be a common theme this year.

I still haven't figured out what those two wires are or if they plug in to the cdi. I also noticed that my fuel gauge is totally off. I filled the tank up thinking I was on empty, it only took .75 gallons. And when I turned the bike on the gauge stopped at the half tank mark. So I Got figure that out...